3DVeniceWellheads

Introduction

Hello this is the intro

Book Vere Da Pozzo Di Venezia, Alberto Rizzi, La Stamperia Di Venezia Editrice, 1981.

search for images of wells

The Well-Heads of Venice – Alberto Rizzi

Motivation

Venice is one of the cities in Europe with the richest and largest number of well-heads, locally known as "vere da pozzo". This term refers to the stone structure surrounding the pipe of a well with protective function. Across history, the role of wells for Venice has always been crucial, in first place to assure drinking water for citizens. Although on water, the city needed wells to store unsalted water. They were placed most of the times in the middle of a square or a private courtyard to collect rainwater and filter it in the ground. In times of drought they were filled with freshwater from the near Brenta river. Over time the uncovered part of these wells, the visible one, started to become more and more relevant also in cultural and artisitc terms. The aim of the project is thus to highlight their significance by classification and 3D modelling. With such an augmentation, we could expect to be able to extract information about their common structures and patterns and also their positioning.

Project Plan

Main steps of the project:

• Preliminary research on the net and books: wells classification.
• Identification of common and particular features.
• Definition of parameters to describe all these traits digitally.
• Creation of one single 3D model capable of describing the larger number of possible wells.
• Starting from this model, replica of the wells in the book "Vere da Pozzo di Venezia" by Alberto Rizzi.
• Wells database (?).
• Wells placing (?).
• Tada!

Date	Task	Completion
By Week 3	Brainstorm project ideas, come up with at least one feasible innovative idea. Prepare slides for initial project idea presentation.	✓
By Week 4	Definition of the content and outcome of the project	✓
By Week 5	Definition of the content and outcome of the project Rhino and Grasshopper tutorial	✓
By Week 6	Identification of well-heads typologies with the book Vere da Pozzo Use the typologies to define the model structure and parameters	✓
By Week 7	Design a grasshopper diagram for slabs and mouldings. Use input points as csv file.	✓
By Week 8	Work on the 3D model Improve the Grasshopper model for slabs and mouldings. Eliminate issues and finalize the set of parameters used to describe the typologies of a well-head. Prepare slides for the midterm project presentation.
By Week 9	Improve the Grasshopper model. Use of JSON file for the well-heads parameters. Identify how to extract the parameters out of the well-heads picture of the book. Rehearse the midterm presentation
By Week 10	Midterm presentation Draft of the first working 3D model Design a Grasshopper model to extract parameters from pictures and output a JSON file.
By Week 11	Definitive 3D model Wells parametrization and 3D reconstruction
By Week 12	Wells parametrization and 3D reconstruction
By Week 13	empty
By Week 14	Final presentation

Methodology

The well-heads of Venice or "vere da pozzo" feature detailed artworks such as stone sculptures. It is challenging to replicate them with a procedural 3D modelling process. The goal is to identify the most basic typologies of wells with basic geometric shapes and use them to model a simple shape of each well with Rhino Grasshopper.

Common typologies of wells:

• Base with circular, square, hexagonal, octagonal, decagonal (10), dodecagonal (12) shapes.
• Top with circular, square, hexagonal, octagonal, decagonal (10), dodecagonal (12) shapes.
• Edges are either sharp or embedding a sculpture that cut them.
• Well-heads rest on a slab with one, two or three steps.
• Top 10-15cm of the well either have flanges with square or circular profiles or arcades

The following illustrations come from the book Vere Da Pozzo Di Venezia, Alberto Rizzi, La Stamperia Di Venezia Editrice, 1981. They illustrate the typologies.

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  Typologies as described in the book

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  A place with wells

• 

  Round only

• 

  Round to polygonal with sculpted edges

• 

  Round to polygonal with arches

• 

  Special complex

• 

  Special simple

• 

  Large polygonal

• 

  Large round

Classification by stylistic appearance and historical period:

Type	Period	Features
Archeological	Greek and Roman	Rough, made from column shafts, altars, memorial stones, cinerary urns and other pieces.
Carolingian	VIII-X centuries	Cubic, decorated with symbols of Christian art
Venetian-Byzantine	XI-XIII centuries	Free-standing cylinder decorated with pillars or columns
Gothic	XIV-XV centuries	Like capitals of columns or pillars, with square frame
Traditional	from 1300	Cylindrical shaft with small arches in the corners
Lombardesque	late XV-early XVI centuries	Modelled like columns capitals
Renaissance	mid XV-mid XVI centuries	Polygonal shape with figures in the lateral boxes
Baroques	XVI-XVIII centuries	Double swelling in the middle
Neoclassical	XVIII-XIX centuries	Very simple cylindrical structure

Set of parameters:

• Number of slabs

For each slab:

• Height
• Outer diameter (without mouldings)
• Number of polygonal edges at the top, 0 for circle
• Number of polygonal edges at the bottom, 0 for circle

For the outline of the moulding:

• Starting point position and direction (2D)
• Ending point position and direction (2D)
• Middle point position, direction (2D) and scale factor of the opposite direction
• Shear factor

Future work

• scan a sample of representative wells, perspectives : 1h
• design a grasshopper code to generate json out of the images: 5h
• scan the book as PDF or as a set of JPG: 5h
• generate the JSONs: 16h
• classify the well-heads of the book ?h